"262
Mormons, 262 Baptists, heaven help us."
I
would almost recommend "Baptists at Our
Barbecue" solely for its tagline..."262 Mormons,
262 Baptists, heaven help us."
This is, admittedly, the kind of film I love.
I've already established I have this quirky
affection for the Mormon films, and this is one
of the better ones (though not quite up to
"Latter Days").
"Baptists at Our Barbecue" is the story of Clark
Bender, a Mormon who has never been outside Utah
and, in his bid for some independence from
friends/family, takes a job out of state in the
small town of "Longwinded." (Admit it, you
chuckled). Bender, as portrayed by Steven Wayne
Anderson (an almost frighteningly Bob Saget look
alike), is simple, easygoing, peaceful and
faithful. Yet, unlike some Mormon films, he's
also human (though mostly in gentle ways). No,
we don't have a Mormon serial killer here...but,
we do have an honest man who gets challenged by
frustrations, dreams, faith, anger and the
insecurities of turning 30 and being single.
It's a refreshingly honest portrayal of being
human and not JUST Mormon. Is it an
award-winning performance? Hardly. It's a nice,
simple performance that works well in this
low-budget, modestly produced film.
The town of "Longwinded" is unique because this
town is divided evenly among the feuding Mormons
and Baptists. The screenplay is written by F.
Matthew Smith based upon a novel by Robert F.
Smith. (Yes, one can't help but notice how many
Mormons there are named Smith). The screenplay
is more authentic than I'm used to from Mormon
productions. While it's fairly subtle, the film
deals fairly openly with religious tolerance,
human relationships and the ways we deal with
each other. Typically, in a Mormon film you
won't find much ugliness...yet, in this film, we
deal with a character named Rich (played by
Charles Halford) who is vengeful, destructive
and abusive to the point of criminal behavior.
While it's played rather gently, it's still
played...a remarkable sign of growth for Mormon
films. Of course, this is a Mormon film so the
resolution is positive...but, at least sensitive
subject matter is addressed.
I've always had this nasty habit of reading
through the cast listings of independent films
and looking at the cinematic history of the
cast. Usually, when dealing with low-budget
films you find bad to average actors/actresses
who've performed in all kinds of sex and horror
films. Remarkably, this is seldom true in Mormon
films. For example, this is Anderson's first
film and Halford's second (first being a TV
film). Almost exclusively, the Mormons seem to
have developed their creative network. While I
respect this, I also believe this may hinder the
quality of the productions.
As Clark's soon to be "girlfriend" in the film,
Charity, Heather Beers is reminiscent of the
Mormon girlfriend from "Orgazmo." She's young,
thin, blonde, perky and almost too innocent for
words. Yet, that's also something I love about
these films. There's no sell-out for box-office
purposes...no sexualizing of relationships or
pretty girls. The relationship here is almost
uncomfortably innocent...yet it never seems
false. This is a second film for Beers, the
first being a 2002 production of "Charly." She's
marvelous here in giving her character a depth
that is actually not even evident from the
script. Her character has returned from the big
city after a broken engagement...she has
remarkable moments of vulnerability, honesty and
wit without ever being dark or bitter.
The rest of the townspeople are remarkably
quirky, from the elders to the sheriff to the
Baptist preacher to the strayed. The film's
title comes from Clark's decision to hold a
barbecue in an effort to bridge the feud...they
are going to invite the Baptists to their
barbecue.
"Baptists at Our Barbecue" is, most definitely a
Mormon film. If religious films turn you off,
then this film will not change your mind. It has
moments of great preachiness, and enough
positive resolutions to make the "Up With
People" singers nauseous. Yet, this film rests
in the "B" range for me because it succeeds on
so many levels...especially for a low-budget,
independent film. It is a gentle, sweet comedy
about the differences that drive us apart and
the similarities that bring us back together.
It's actually a lot like Saget's old series
"Full House." It's filled with lots of "awwwwwwwww"
moments that you'll later find yourself thinking
"I can't believe that got to me." Yet, it did.
Fans of positive, life-affirming and family
validating films will find much to enjoy here.
Fans of Mormon cinema will rejoice at a
remarkably true to life and human film...AND
those of us who miss a love story that is about
relationships and innocence and intimacy will
simply sit there and be grateful.
The film is rated PG for mild thematic elements
and mild violence that may open the door to
family discussions about tolerance and conflict
resolution. I saw a very direct connection in
the way the conflict escalated, even in the
sense that Clark "reacted" to it aggressively at
one point...and so it escalated out of control.
It's a powerful lesson and yet presented gently
enough that it's a great discussion point for
families.
This film is produced by HaleStorm
Entertainment, the same company that produced
The RM, The Singles Ward and The Home Teachers,
among others.
From a critical standpoint, I can't honestly
rate this film higher than a B...but from a
personal standpoint, I give it a wholehearted
recommendation.
©
Written by Richard
Propes
TC Candler's Comment
I haven't
seen it and I'm pretty sure I won't run across
it any time soon. But if comes on at 3am
some night in the distant future, I will make
sure to leave it on in the background while I am
busy downloading... ummmm files.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
